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Biting and stretching breasts!

I'm trying everything to stop boo biting at the moment, any more hints? (She has chicken pox at the moment, so it might be because of that or more teething, it's been about 3 months she's been non stop teething now).
She's 11 months.

She's also got into the habit of stretching my boob out when feeding and even bracing an arm against me. I can't seem to push her into my breast further as she's too strong!
Any ideaS? Not looking forward to tonight's feed.

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

Me, I'm kinda a mean mom and expect nursing manners. I teach them that if you abuse mom by biting, pinching, twiddling or otherwise mishandling mom's body, mom gets up and ends the session. I put them down for a minute. Easier than struggling with them, kwim.

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

Originally Posted by @llli*aprilsmagic

Me, I'm kinda a mean mom and expect nursing manners. I teach them that if you abuse mom by biting, pinching, twiddling or otherwise mishandling mom's body, mom gets up and ends the session. I put them down for a minute. Easier than struggling with them, kwim.

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

My DS is also a stretcher--he'll put both palms against my chest and push back HARD when he's feeding, and it hurts. To prevent that, as soon as he puts his top hand on my chest, I grab it and start playing with his fingers.

Part of the reason my DS pushes back is because he's trying to get a let-down faster. When he was really little, he used to stroke my chest gently. Sometimes, when he's about to push back, I'll take his hand and stroke it gently along my chest. He gets the hint pretty quick and starts doing that instead of pushing back.

In terms of biting: when he bites, I set him down. Rinse and repeat as much as necessary.

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

Thanks everyone. I've been trying both these things.
How long does it take for her to understand and stop biting though...
How long do you take her away from the milk for? She just gets really angsty after a few mins and screams! We're feeding in bed so I usually just let her go and run around the bed, she bites again most times, which means her night feed can exceed an hour!!
Any advice appreciated, this bout has been about 5 days straight. Plus I need to start pumping soon and I'm sore and my cream isn't helping!

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

Different children are different. Some children learn immediately, after being taken off the breast once. Unfortunately for me, Joe was NOT one of those children. We had a week of me screaming in pain and unlatching him and walking away for a minute to cool off because I was so frustrated and hurting before he sorted it out. It was a hard week. But he did learn it eventually! And I'm so glad I persevered!! So keep it up, mama! Be consistent!

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

Oh, how long had it been now? lol. It must be over a week and I think now she's started teething again....
Still not sure how long to keep her off for when she bites, she just screams so much, I only manage a few mins?

Re: Biting and stretching breasts!

You could try one of these breastfeeding necklaces so she has something to distract her and entertain her while she is nursing. http://www.mommynecklaces.com/ When my daughter started biting I would unlatch her (only for a few mins). And I would say no in a firm voice and explain to her when she bit that it hurt mommy. (She was about 8 months old at the time). I've always felt like babies can understand a whole lot more than a lot of people think. While she is screaming I would try telling her why she is not getting to nurse. That if she doesn't bite she gets more milk. Keep trying! I promise it will get better soon! You could also try putting some orajel on her gums before feedings if she is teething. And Tylenol every 4 hours for a bit. It could help her not feel that need to bite for relief. Good luck!